Cavatelli With Mole, Fresh Ricotta, and Whey

I learned how to make peanut mole, mole cacahuate, in Oaxaca, Mexico. If you don't know, Oaxaca is a foodie paradise. The presence of pre-hispanic cultural traditions is on proud display for all to see, and food heritage is of no exception. The area is a food oasis, with dozens of varieties of corns, fruits, and vegetables grown all around. We spent afternoons meandering within the incredible labyrinth-like mercados. There you can buy all varieties of incredible fruit, vegetables, spices, chiles, cheeses, and meats. We also dropped by a couple of molinos, spaces full of large industrial grinders used by the community to grind down chocolate and spices for making mole.

Oaxaca is famous in and outside of Mexico for its unique and authentic food. One of the most famous facets of Oaxaca cuisine is mole (mow-lay). Moles are sauces and marinades make from chiles, spices, nuts, and usually chocolate. They are typically served with animal proteins and/or vegetables, and sometimes rice and beans.

I love this peanut mole for it’s nutty, spicy flavor and it’s versatility in vegetarian and vegan cooking. At work I created a special of jackfruit mole tacos that were sublime. I stewed jackfruit in the mole and served it in corn tortillas, alongside fresh avocado, garlic crema, fresh yellow wood sorrel and pickled onion blossoms, fresh from the restaurant garden.

This recipe features my most off-the-wall application of mole to date, and I couldn't be happier about how it turned out. For starters, the pasta dough for the cavatelli is spiked with just enough mole to turn each dumpling into a savory little bomb that bursts in your mouth. The pasta sauce is a blend of mole and the whey that separates from the curd when making ricotta. The result is a creamy, nutty, spicy bite of dumpling heaven. I could eat this dish 3 times a day and still want more.

The inspiration for this dish started with the ricotta. I thought about mixing my fresh ricotta with semolina flour to make cavatelli dumplings. Luckily I had leftover mole from a few days earlier in my fridge, so that would cover the sauce. And I figured, why not add a little mole to the pasta dough?

I recommend splitting up the work for this recipe over a day or two. The good news is that you will have plenty of mole and ricotta and whey to infuse into all of your other dishes (congratulations!).

For the peanut mole (makes approx 6 cups):

• 260g unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• 400g tomato, cut into quarters
• 2 dried chipotle chiles, de-stemmed
• 2 dried guajillo chiles, de-stemmed
• 2 dried ancho chiles, de-stemmed
• 2 dried arbol chiles, de-stemmed
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Salt, to taste
• 400ml water

For the ricotta:

• 1/2 gallon whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons salt

For the cavatelli:

• 200g semolina flour
• 200g fresh ricotta
• 2 tablespoon peanut mole
• 1 egg
• All-purpose flour, for dusting

For the mole sauce:

• 2 tablespoon peanut mole
• 1 cup whey
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or amazake cultured cream

To make the mole: Heat the oil in a large sauce pot over medium high flame. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the peanuts and fry, stirring often, until the peanuts darken in color, about 5 minutes. Do not let them burn. Add the tomato, chiles and spices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to soften. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have started to break down, about 10 minutes. Add the water to the pot and give everything a stir. Return the lid to the pot and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 15 minutes. The chiles should appear rehydrated.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Return the paste to the sauce pot and heat through over low flame, being careful not to get splattered in bubbling hot mole. If the mole is too thick, you may thin it out with water to your liking. I personally enjoy this mole on the thicker side, but feel free to do as you like. Season with salt and remove from the heat. The mole will keep airtight in the fridge for 2 weeks.

To make the ricotta: Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, buttermilk and salt in a large non-reactive pot and set over medium heat. Gently run a wooden spoon or whisk against the bottom of the pot every few minutes as the mixture heats up to prevent sticking and burning. You will start to see the beginnings of the whey separating from the curd. Turn the heat down to low and let the curd continue to pool on the surface, all the while gently running the spoon against the bottom as before, for 20 to 30 minutes. The surface of the pot should be matte in color thanks to the floating curds. Set a cheese cloth over a bowl so that the cloth hangs out and over. Pour the contents of the pot into the cloth laden bowl. Once the curds have cooled down completely in the whey, lift out the cheese cloth and strain. Store the ricotta and they whey separately. They’ll both last in the fridge for about 10 days. 

To make the cavatelli: Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your hand(s) to incorporate the mixture into a shaggy mass. Gently knead the dough on a surface dusted with all-purpose flour for 2 minutes. Test that the cavatelli is properly hydrated: to do this, break off a small piece and roll it over a gnocchi board. If the piece dissolves and cannot be rolled, you will need to incorporate an additional dusting of all-purpose flour into the dough. Do this and test again, until your cavatelli hold their shape and groove. Divide the dough into two or three and roll into 1-inch thick snakes. Take a bench knife and slice the snake into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece over a gnocchi board to create grooves and set aside on a semolina dusted tray. 

Bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, begin warming a saucepan of the mole sauce. Boil the cavatelli for 1 minute, after which use a spyder or sieve to transfer the cooked cavatelli straight into the saucepan with the mole.

To serve, spoon the cavatelli into bowls. Spoon the sauce over and around the cavatelli. Garnish with additional fresh ricotta.